Alexander's Prison - Yazd
Alexander’s Prison is a building from the 15th century in Yazd. This building is romantically linked with Alexander the Great, locally it is known as Zindan-e Iskander. At present, Iskandar’s Prison is advertised as a mosque and Ziaiyeh religious school and to have no connection to Alexander the Great.
It is a common belief that Alexander the Great used this dungeon to prison the Persians. Although the reference is seemed to have come from Hafez’s poetry but now it is a teahouse. Some even go as far to say that this dungeon was built to prison Alexander the Great, so the debate continues
The complex contains a deep, circular, brick-lined pit almost 10 meters in diameter resembling an ancient dungeon found at the heart of the old building. Clay is the preferred material used on the walls of the building because it can get very hot in Yazd.
The dome of Iskandar Prison is made of raw clay and is decorated with plaster works and golden and azure watercolor. The material used in much of the building is clay, however, it has been restored with bricks in the past. Each side of the domed tower is almost 9 meters long and it rises almost 18 meters tall
